Cedar River Salmon Journey

When June through October—check event listing for dates and times | BONUS WEEKEND October 29 and 30

Join the Seattle Aquarium to learn more about salmon! Trained naturalists will be on-site to help you spot spawning salmon and learn about the things we can all do to help them. Free and family friendly!

Follow the journey of a lifetime

Each year, thousands of Pacific salmon return to our local watersheds to produce the next generation of fish. Salmon play a key role in our economy and are the cornerstone of our local ecosystem, which supports us all. These amazing creatures are also critical to the health and well-being of Coast Salish peoples, who stewarded these lands and waters for generations and continue to do so today.

Here in Seattle, we’re fortunate to host one of the few wildlife migrations that runs through the heart of an urban watershed. The Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed supports a threatened run of Chinook—as well as sockeye and coho—salmon. From May to September, adult salmon pass through the Ballard Locks on the final leg of their epic journey from the rivers and streams in which they were born, out to the ocean and back to these same rivers and streams. There, during fall and into winter, these salmon will spawn and die, and the Pacific salmon life cycle will begin again.

October 2022 dates and times:

11am–4pm on October 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23.

BONUS WEEKEND October 29 and 30.

Locations (links will open locations in Google maps)
Renton Library Alternate link: Sound 2nd & Mill Ave. South Please note: The Bronson Bridge near the Renton Library is closed for repairs and mapping software such as Google Maps may divert you to a nearby area as you approach. The library's parking area remains open. The nearest intersection to the library is South 2nd Street and Mill Avenue South. Signs for where to see salmon will be placed near the library and parking areas.
Cedar River Park
Riverview Park
Belmondo Reach
Landsburg Park

Note: Please help keep these sites healthy for everyone by following current COVID-19 guidelines.

Resources and activities

Salmon life cycle

The future of Chinook and importance for orcas

Salmon activities for kids

Blog posts

We’re raising our voices for healthy salmon habitat, February 8, 2021
A tale of two rivers, October 20, 2020
Recovering Northwest salmon, April 7, 2020
Fascinating fish of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, April 6, 2020
Engaging communities to protect salmon and orcas, February 18, 2020
Healthy habitats for healthy salmon and orcas, February 3, 2020
Southern residents and the hunt for food, (the link between Chinook and Orca) July 8, 2019
Why are Chinook salmon so important to orcas?, June 21, 2019
Pierre 59 survived the Sound, (learn about steelhead & how you can help salmon), May 20, 2019
Pierre 59 is surviving and thriving, May 8, 2019
Salmon eggs by the numbers, October 28, 2016
The how and why of salmon migration, October 17, 2016
A closer look at the wonder of salmon migration, October 7, 2016
Redd alert! Our Chinook salmon are hatching!, December 14, 2015

Learn more about salmon and recovery efforts from Cedar River Salmon Journey partners

Salmon Conservation and Restoration: We Work to Save Salmon in Your Watershed (King County)
Living with Salmon in King County (a guide to salmon in King County)
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Cedar River Watershed and Fish (Seattle Public Utilities)
Salmon Conservation (WA Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Salmon Identification: Ocean Phase vs Spawning Phase (WA Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Protecting Surface Water in Renton (the City of Renton)
Washington State’s biennial report on salmon, their habitat and recovery efforts (Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

Webinar series on salmon of the Cedar River

Watch our webinar series and hear from an education specialist, a fisheries biologist and a salmon recovery manager about the challenges salmon face, their population trends and local restoration efforts in the Cedar River.